Clear Steel
by Niar-Muse
Summary: Quartz doesn't remember anything before waking up on the beach near Mossdeep, hopefully the silver haired man who found her can help, but why does she get the feeling she knows him?
1. Smokey Quartz

Wingull cried overhead, their shadows cast against the ground as the waves lapped at the gleaming shore, the ocean's salty spray glazed over the remains of a boat caught in the storm the night before as more bits and pieces dragged themselves onto the shores of Mossdeep. A pokeball rolled onto the sand, shaking violently before breaking open in a flash of white light.

A Beldum floated from the sand, it's red eye searching the shore hurriedly and coming to rest on a small form not to far away. The pokemon raced over to the form, crying out its name in its metallic voice and nudging the teenager that lay there unconscious, sand clung to her soaking wet clothes and honey hair.

The Beldum recognized the small island town it was near and raced off in the direction of town, it was still early morning, only the 24 hour Pokemon Center was open. Most of the residents were still sleeping, but the little steel robotic pokemon only hoped the one man it remembered was home. The pokemon crashed against the door, lifting small pebbles with its psychic abilities, the interior of the small house it had stopped in front of echoed its frantic attempts until a pair of footsteps approached the door. When the door opened, the Beldum wasted no time in getting behind the man and pushing him the direction of the beach.

* * *

><p>The teenage girl's eyes cracked open, bright sunlight filling them instantly as she squeezed them shut, where was she? Who was she? She pushed herself up from the sand, her whole body was numb. She opened her eyes again and glared through the bright light at the black clad body running towards her, the white glints coming from the body hurt her eyes.<p>

"Are you okay!? We've got to get you help!" A man's voice shouted, panicked and rushed as a pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders.

Who was he?

Her mind went blank as she fell forwards.

* * *

><p>Steven caught the teenager as she fell into his chest, she was soaking wet and her whole body felt cold and clammy. This wasn't good. He scooped the girl into his arms, she was lighter than he expected her to be, but never the less, Steven rushed back to his house, her Beldum keeping up behind him after it had grabbed its pokeball.<p>

The steel trainer's door slammed shut behind him as he laid the girl out on the large table in the center of the room, her face was contorted in discomfort as Steven stripped off his jacket and laid it over her while he ran to get just about every towel he could muster from his bathroom, dumping arm loads onto the table with her Beldum assisting as much as it could. He quickly looked over her shaking body, she wasn't bleeding, but he couldn't say anything about her limbs, though he was sure they were fine as none were bent at odd angles.

Steven grabbed a towel, laid it out and gently rolled the teenager onto it, enveloping her in another towel, and another, and another until she had a cocoon of towels, finally he grabbed a smaller towel and ran it through her hair. By the time he had finished this a little color had returned to her face and he let out a sigh of relief, she wasn't shaking as violently as she had been before. He gingerly scooped her into his arms again, taking extra care to make sure the towels wouldn't fall off as he moved her to his bed and pulled the blankets over her.

The blue haired man let out a breath he had been holding and sat on the edge of the bed, her face was at peace, it was as if she was just resting for a moment.

But that wasn't the case.

The champion frowned, why had she washed up on the beach, where had she been going to? Why hadn't she called? Most importantly, would she be alright?

"Quartz... What happened to you?" He breathed, watching her lie there motionless.

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><p><strong>Hello! Thank you for reading the first chapter of Clear Steel, I'll be honest, I'm really excited to be writing this fanfic! I'd really appreciate if you readers could give me your feedback in the reviews so I can improve this fanfic! <strong>

**I did a little planning ahead and have come to the conclusion that this fanfic will updates twice a week, depending on how long the chapters are. Anyways the two days this fanfic will update are Wednesday and Saturday, so be sure to keep an eye out and leave a review down below, I'll see you next chapter!**


	2. Girasol

_Waves crashed over the sides of the boat, pushing and shoving the delicate craft from side to side with the howling wind. Bullet like rain shattered against the wooden deck of the ship as she clung to the iron railing, making her way slowly towards the control room. She was drenched to the bone and shivering madly, but she pushed on, even as her feet slipped on the deck and the waves and rain pummeled her un-relentlessly. Her pale blond hair clung to the edges of her face and she fought for breath, but she picked herself up and continued on, she had to get to back Hoenn. She had to._

_An angry wave towered above the little ship, its monstrous shadow cast across the little ship as lightning clapped and thunder roared overhead. Her blue eyes widened as her body went rigid in fear, a pokeball at her waist opened on its own. The blinding white light released by the small spherical container was barely visible from the flash of lightning. She felt herself topple backwards as the wave crashed into the ship, expecting to hit the metal wall behind her, but the feeling never came. Instead an icy cold feeling washed over her._

_All she saw before her vision went black was a flash of gold._

* * *

><p>The teenager's eyes snapped open, her breathing was ragged and her whole body shook in a fear that quickly passed. She was alive, thank Helix she was alive. Relief washed through her body and she let out a shaky breath.<p>

Where was she? She pushed herself up, finding towel after towel laid atop her, the first two damp and warm to the touch. Looking to her left she found a glass case filled with glittering stones and rocks she had never seen before, but she had seen them... She thought, they were familiar. The shifting of fabric drew her attention to the rest of the room, it was fairly big and scantily decorated with glass cases filled with stones taking up most of the space. A body shifted on the large table in the middle of the room, a blue haired man sat there with his head in his arms. The teen was about to get up from the bed and investigate, when without warning, the blue haired man lifted his head.

Panic welled through the teen as she threw the covers back on her and shut her eyes, her heart racing miles a minute. Where was she? Who was he? She heard his footsteps approach, and a kind hand adjust the cover on her before his footsteps walked away.

"She'll be up soon Beldum, don't worry." She heard him say, his voice low, obviously trying not to wake her. It was all very familiar. But she didn't see another person in the room, was he talking to himself?

"You were very brave to find me, I'm glad you did too." There was the sound of a small door being opened and closed followed by the clink of glass on stone. Another door opened and closed and a paper bag was placed on the counter. Something small and hard toppled into the glass, stopping after a few moments.

"Go on. Eat as much as you like. You've had a long journey friend." The man said, his footsteps drawing closer to her as she gingerly peaked from under the covers, he stood at the table, gathering what appeared as bundles of paper wrapped with string. His arm moved and she caught sight of a yellow bag, its contents removed and laid out on the table.

Her eyes caught on a specific piece and drew a sharp gasp from her. A glass bottle with a small golden ring around its neck and three magenta feathers. It belonged to her.

The man whipped around at her gasp, and he was at her side almost instantly.

"Quartz! Are you alright?" He asked quickly, helping her sit up.

"I-I'm fine." She shakily responded, looking at the man more closely. He was handsome, she wouldn't deny that, her attention drew to his eyes. A piercing silvery blue, she knew him from somewhere... But where?

"Who are you?" She asked, mentally shaking herself from her trance.

"It's me, Steven. You don't remember me?" The man, Steven, asked, his voice growing worried.

"No... I don't remember anything..." The teen breathed, looking ahead and searching her brain for an answer, a memory, anything that would make her remember, "All I remember is a ship... There was a storm and then... I can't recall what happened after that. I don't even know my name."

Steven was silent for a moment, as if registering what she had just said, he stood up, catching her off guard.

"Well then... I'll help you remember, but first let's get you cleaned up a bit and fed. We've got a long day, Quartz."

That's right... That was her name. Quartz.

Quartz nodded, sliding out of the bed and shaking as she stood up, there was a lot she had to remember.

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><p><strong>And here's chapter two! I'd like to thank Alphinia for their review, hopefully I've improved in the areas you've pointed out in your review and I will be trying to lengthen the chapters as the story goes on. Also I'd like to thank Farla for their review, I will be improving dialog as I go along. I'd like to address some of the points you brought up though. I have gone and fixed what you've pointed out and that little bit of information you mentioned will be covered next chapter. Anyways, thanks for the advice.<strong>

**Reviews do really help improve my writing, I'd love to hear your feedback so leave a review down below and I'll be sure to read it.**

**Well with that over with, I'll see you guys on Wednesday!**


	3. Agate

A few days had passed since Quartz woke up in Steven's house, she had recovered nicely, though she still didn't have most of her memories back. She felt something familiar when ever she looked at Steven, something warm in her chest. Yet her mind was blank when it came to who he was. He treated her like a friend, but she couldn't quite place him. How did he know her? She had tried asking before, but Steven had either changed the topic or promised to tell her later. Quartz had wonderd why he didn't take her to the hospital or even the pokemon center, she hadn't seen a hospital on Mossdeep and she had confirmed that the pokemon center only treated pokemon and not humans, or at least not to the extent of treatment she would need. The closest hospital was in Sootopolis according to Steven, flying someone who was unconscious over an ocean could cause more harm than good. Especially if she had woken up in the air.

Her Beldum prodded her side, snapping out of her trace. She looked down at the soapy water and dirty dishes. Water hissed from the bathroom as Quartz was reminded where she was exactly.

"I'm alright, Kyanite." She reassured the robotic like pokemon, a light smile on her face as she finished up the last of the dishes, Steven hadn't been so keen on her helping around the house at first, he always told he'd take care of it. Quartz didn't mind, just moving around gave her time to think. She glanced at her bag on the edge of the counter. She hadn't seen the glass bottle since she woke up, and it gave her a feeling of unease, as if it was something very important to her.

"You named it Kyanite?" Steven asked from the bathroom door, clothed and running a towel through his hair.

"I remembered that I did last night." Quartz nodded, rinsing down the sink and drying her hands on a towel, "It's starting to come back to me, bit by bit."

"Don't strain yourself too much." Steven reminded, tossing the towel back into the bathroom.

"I know... Maybe we could go outside today. It could help me get my memories back." Quartz suggested hesitantly, she didn't want to press her luck and get thrown out, although it was unlikely seeing as he treated her almost like a friend.

"Alright." Steven simply answered with a shrug, "Let me know when you're ready."

"I'm ready now if that's alright." She pressed a little further, grabbing her bag and clipping it around her waist, the contents of the bag a mystery to her. Kyanite returned to its pokeball that sat on the belt of her bag. The weight was familiar and a smile crept up onto her face.

"You're starting to look more like your old self." Steven said, his body going rigid after wards, "I'm sorry, it just slipped out."

"It's fine." Quartz said, voice barely above a whisper, plastering a false smile on her face she changed her tone "Let's just go, okay? It's nice outside."

* * *

><p>Mossdeep was beautiful, the air was wonderfully cool and large white clouds billowed across the cerulean sky. The cries of Wingull and the crash of waves on the beach filled the air as a few people milled about on the small island city. Quartz grinned as she walked next to Steven on the cobblestone road, it felt great to be out of the house. She peered ahead, a gym was down the path and a space station towered above them, casting a long shadow. The small city was very familiar to the lemon haired girl, it felt like she had been there before.<p>

"Did you see those weirdos over by the space center?" A young woman whispered to her companion, walking past Quartz and Steven.

"I think they're part of Team Magma.." Her friend whispered back, "Don't worry my love, I won't let them harm you."

"Oh Mary, you always know just what to say to me!"

Quartz had trailed behind Steven quite considerably to hear this conversation, and he had noticed. He turned and found her catching up to him.

"Something's wrong." She reported, looking towards the space center, "Those girls mentioned Team Magma... Who are they?"

"Not good people. Come on Quartz, we don't have much time! We have to get to the space center!" Steven rushed his sentence, taking off at a fast pace. Quartz raced behind him as they rushed up the tiers of Mossdeep to the space center perched atop the hill overlooking the town. Quartz skid to a halt at Steven's side, trying to regain her breath.

"Are you alright?" He asked, glancing over her. Quartz nodded and took a deep breath, standing up.

"I'm fine. Let's take care of Team Magma."

Before they could make it to the door though, two people stepped out wearing matching red and black uniforms, a large black M painted on their uniforms. The woman smirked as her eyes fell on Steven and Quartz.

"What have we here? No matter, no one will be getting in Team Magma's way. That Scientist's data will help us unlock the secrets of Mega Evolution."

"Hey!" Her male companion hissed, "You're giving away our mission."

"And what should it matter? The world should know of the great mind that is Maxie!" The Magma Grunt turned to face them again, "One of you is a child and the other is a stunning male specimen. Regardless, none shall block the path of Team Magma!"

Steven frowned as he glanced over at Quartz.

"Well, if you put it that way, then we have little choice. Quartz, we'll have to battle our way through this! Would you lend me your strength?" He asked, Quartz's hand reached down to her belt, grasping the pokeball that contained Kyanite. She gave him a small nod, her eyes narrowing at the two grunts that stood there.

"Battle alongside me then!" Steven cracked a smile, releasing his Skarmory just as the two Magma Grunts released their Mighteyna's. Kyanite appeared before Quartz, hovering above the ground.

"Right. Kyanite..." Quartz searched her memory for an attack "Use Iron Head on the Mighteyna's to your right!"

"Skarmory, follow that up with Steel Wing to the left." Steven calmly ordered, a frown settling on his face. Quartz felt a grin cross her lips, adrenaline coursed through her veins, it was exhilarating.

"Mighteyna! Don't let that puny Beldum's attacks stop you! Crunch it!" The female grunt shouted. Her pokemon lunged forwards, catching Beldum in it's maw and bitting down hard, cracking through the steel pokemon's thick armor.

"No!" Quartz cried, stepping forwards in an attempt to pry Kyanite from the dark type pokemon's maw.

"Skarmory use Steel Wing on your right, bring Beldum back!" Steven quickly ordered, his arm shooting over Quartz's chest to hold her back, "Kyanite's too weak to fight Quartz, you might have to back out."

Steven's words cracked through her mind as Quartz's left arm twitched. There was another pokeball on her belt, she had seen it, but what ever was contained inside... It gave her a bad feeling. Steven's Skarmory crashed into the Mighteyna, knocking Kyanite from its grasp and catching the Beldum in her beak.

"Unless..." Steven drew out a single pokeball, presenting it to her as she returned Kyanite back into its pokeball, "Use this. It's a Swampert."

Quartz took the pokeball hesitantly, a cool feeling washed down her arm as she held the pokeball out in front of her.

"Come on out!" Quartz called, the Swampert landed on the ground sending vibrations up her legs as she braced herself, "As soon as you can use Hydro Cannon!"

"Swamp!" The Swampert responded, bracing itself close to the ground.

"Don't fail me Mighteyna! Crunch it again!"

"Cut it off with Aerial Ace!"

"Tackle his Skarmory out of the way!"

"Dodge it and use Toxic."

Quartz was hesitating, but not from fear, but from amazement, watching a Steven's Skarmory glide through the air effortlessly was a sight to see. Watching the blue haired man battle was like nothing she could remember.

"This is getting nowhere! Mighteyna use Ember!" The female grunt growled once her partner's Mighteyna fainted.

Fire hit Steven's Skarmory, sending it reeling back with a burnt wing, and Quartz stepped forwards.

"Hydro Cannon!" She shouted as her Swampert's body tensed, water shot out in a powerful stream, crashing into the Mighteyna and sending it toppling over unconscious.

"Damn... We've wasted enough time on you two. We'd better check in on Tabitha at that island."

The two Magma Grunts passed them quickly, vanishing down the island. Before Quartz or Steven could attempt to stop them the doors of the space center whirred open and an older man wearing a lab coat with thick round glasses stepped out.

"Did you two drive off Team Magma?" He asked, looking them up and down, "Oh it's you Steven! Thank you so much! Those goons were trying to steal my precious research."

"No need to thank me, and I was not alone. This is Quartz, she helped me battle those thugs. Together we sent them running." Steven shrugged, motioning over to Quartz, the Scientist looked at her with curiosity.

"I'm sorry, but have we met before?" He asked, adjusting his glasses as Quartz shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable with the situation.

"Not that I remember..." She muttered, glancing at Steven and hoping he'd say something to break the tension.

"Those thugs said they were heading to an island."

"Ah, I feared they would do that. It seems that island is inhabited by a pokemon that can Mega Evolve. I'm afraid that Team Magma hopes to capture this pokemon."

"I see... That's not something we can ignore. Quartz, I have a favor to ask. Come with me. Help me protect that pokemon from those thieves."

"Yeah. We can't let that pokemon get harmed!" She nodded her head, eyes flicking down to Kyanite's pokeball. They would pay for harming Kyanite.

"Wonderful! I'll upload the coordinates to your Pokenav, Steven!" The Scientist cheered, quickly punching in a few numbers on the small device and handing it back to Steven, "Be safe you two."

"Come on Quartz. Let's go." Steven motioned for her to follow, to which she did.

* * *

><p>"We should first get Kyanite some help." He suggested, guiding her into the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy stood behind the counter, the kind smile on her face fell away the moment she saw Quartz.<p>

"You're back! We were all so worried for you Ms. Warren!" Nurse Joy cried, leaning over the counter.

"I... Um..." Quartz couldn't talk, words refused to form. So she had been to Mossdeep.

"We need your help Nurse Joy." Steven interjected, stepping forwards and turning to Quartz, "Give Nurse Joy Kyanite's pokeball. She'll take care of him."

Quartz stepped forwards, un-clipping Kyanite's pokeball and handing the container to Nurse Joy.

"Your Beldum's in good hands Ms. Warren! Come back for him later!"

Quartz nodded, rejoining Steven and quickly leaving the Pokemon Center. Before she could open her mouth to speak the cry of a pokemon rang loud overhead. A dragon like pokemon descended before Quartz and Steven, hovering inches off the ground, as if waiting for them to hop onto it's back.

"Latios?" Steven asked, his eyes widening, "This is bad. Quartz we have to hurry!"

The older man swung himself up onto Latios' back and extended his hand down to Quartz.

She looked at his hand, an image flashed across her vision. _A woman's hand was extended towards her, a white cloak settled around the woman's body and a veil of shadows whispered behind her. _The image was gone almost as fast as it had appeared, but it had made Quartz fall silent.

"Quartz?" She shook herself from her trance and took a deep breath.

"Let's do this."

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><p><strong>And here's chapter three! Once again I'd like to give a shoutout to Alphinia for their review! I've been starting to look at my writing with a more critical eye thanks to you, and I'll continue to improve! <strong>

**This chapter marks the longest chapter of this fic at the moment, we're starting to get out of the introduction and into the actual story! **

**As always, I appreciate reading your reviews, so leave one down below and I'll be sure to address them ASAP! Till next time!**


	4. Garnet

Quartz couldn't remember the last time she road on the back of a pokemon, but there she was on the back of Latios. Her fingers clung to the back of Steven's jacket as they raced through the sky. The wind tugged at her hair and the adrenaline she had felt earlier was wearing off, making her terribly aware of just how high up they were. Small islands passed below them, allowing brief glances at the patches of green and gold before they were swallowed by the sapphire waters. Above them were the clouds and the occasional flocks of Pokemon, at one point Quartz had sworn she saw a sliver of green. It might have been just a trick of the light.

"We'll be landing soon!" Steven shouted over the high winds, his voice barely audible.

"Okay!" She shouted back in confirmation, spotting the island below them coming closer and closer. The island was fairly large, the nearest ledge being so high up from the water it might have been near impossible to explore without a decent flying type Pokemon. There was a small cave entrance on the ledge they aimed for, Latios drew closer to the ground and stray leaves flew up against their legs. Latios hovered above the ground, allowing Quartz and Steven to slide off it's back.

The moment Quartz's feet touched the ground another memory struck her.

A Pokemon, it was small and hovered in the air. She could not see any features for it hovered before a large golden ring that had a veil of shadows within. A name rang in her head that she repeated in a near whisper.

"_Hoopa_."

"Sorry, what was that?" Steven asked, waving Latios off.

"N-nothing. We should save that Pokemon." She waved the subject away, it was probably something she should keep to herself... At least for the moment.

"Right... Now then. I expect Team Magma and Team Aqua have beat us here in the search for that Pokemon." Steven considered, crossing his arms in thought, "Be safe, alright Quartz?"

"Y-yeah. You too." She managed, turning around and making a beeline for the cave. The inside was cool and damp, with light flooding in from a gaping hole in the ceiling, allowing Quartz to see the two adults dressed in matching blue and white uniforms. She assumed this to be Team Aqua.

"Seriously, I've got so much style that I don't even know what to do with it!" The woman exclaimed, pointing down at her outfit, a smug look on her face.

"Hey who's this scamp?" The other grunt had seen Quartz and approached her from the tall grass they stood in.

"It doesn't matter, we have to stop her."

"Alright! As the forty second strongest member in Team Aqua, I challenge you!"

* * *

><p>The grunts weren't that difficult for Quartz, a few Hydro Cannons and Mud Slaps later Quartz was victorious, the two Aqua Grunts letting her pass. Battling felt natural to her, as if she had done it before. Although she kept an eye on her loaned Swampert, if he got hurt like Kyanite did she would be in trouble.<p>

She approached the two men standing in the back of the cave, the one on her right was short and round, wearing red and black. He was part of Team Magma.

"Could that be Tabitha?" She thought, noticing Tabitha shake in rage at the man that towered above him. He was tall and muscular, though lacking a shirt his blue outfit was a key indicator of being part of Team Aqua.

"Wh-Wha-What!? I have never been so humiliated!" Tabitha screeched, stomping his foot, "You compare ME, Tabitha, the next Chief Admin of Team Magma, to a Makuhita!? You'd better at least make it a Hariyama!"

The man from Team Aqua let out a hearty chuckle, a big smile on his face.

"You're pretty funny, little man! I love funny, interesting dudes! That's why I love my bro Archie!" The man chuckled, "That's it, bro! Let's smash it out with a battle! I'm gonna love you to BITS!"

Quartz stepped back at his words, Tabitha stepping back as well before regaining his composure and sighing.

"I don't understand this brute at all... Frightening." He mused to himself, "It looks as though I have no choice... I'll give you a good taste of the overwhelming power an Admin wields!"

"Sounds fun! Come at me, little man!"

Just as the battle was about to commence they took notice of Quartz standing there hesitantly.

"Seems this child is here to get in our way. This is no time for me to be picking fights with oversized brutes." Tabitha's shoulders relaxed slightly, "My friend. I suggest we call a temporary truce. Let's team up together to wipe out this meddling child!"

"Good idea, bro! That's my little man! You, me, and our pokemon are gonna have a good time later! A no-holds-barred barrage, bro!"

Tabitha sighed again, shaking his head in disapproval before shooting a glare at Quartz and approaching her. She held her ground, steeling herself and reaching down for Swampert's pokeball.

"This one's proving to be a handful. Let's crush this impudent child!"

"I won't let you win." She growled, sending out Swampert. Where was Steven? Shouldn't he be here?

"Ahah! Good kid! Let's rough you up real nice!"

Just as the Admins sent out their pokemon, a voice cut clear through the cave.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, Quartz."

Quartz turned around, finding Steven approaching her from the tall grass, there was a different air around him. It was intimidating to say the least, his eyes had become cold and sharp.

"And now I see what we have here." Steven stopped, examining the two men that stood before them, "So these are some of the bosses of Team Magma and Team Aqua? I admit I'm surprised that they've joined forces... It matters little."

Steven turned to face Quartz, the same look in his eyes.

"We will battle together, Quartz."

"Right." She simply nodded, turning back to Swampert and taking a deep breath.

"Before we start though, Quartz, take this." Steven placed a cool metal object in her hand, a bracelet. A stone much like the one adorning the pin Steven wore was set in the center of the bracelet.

"That Mega Bracelet I just gave you is set with a mysterious stone called a Keystone. It will allow you to Mega Evolve your Swampert. He's already holding his Mega Stone, I think it's time we tested that power." Steven turned his attention to the Admins, a frown on his face.

"You two look pretty fun too! I'm gonna enjoy pummeling you!"

"I pray you don't underestimate me! Admin Tabitha of Team Magma will not fall for any last-minute trickery!"

Steven simply tossed a pokeball forwards, in a burst of white light his pokemon appeared. Quartz had expected it to be his Skarmory, not a gleaming white Metagross. When his Metagross landed on the ground Quartz almost lost her footing, she stumbled back and glanced at Steven, completely un-phased. Turning her attention back to the battle field she found that Tabitha and the other Admin had sent out their pokemon, a Numel and a Sharpedo.

"Meteor Mash." Steven ordered calmly, his hand working at the lapel of his jacket. The pin he wore held tightly in his fingers, the Keystone on top gleamed, just like Steven's Metagross had when it appeared. Quartz glanced down at the Mega Bracelet in her hand, sliding it onto her wrist absently and looking back up at the battle.

Steven's Metagross became surrounded in an orb of brilliant light, energy seeped through cracks and the orb shattered. Smoke filled the air and when it had cleared, his Metagross had changed.

"That's what Mega Evolution is?" She asked herself, focusing on Swampert.

"Alright, Swampert." Quartz sharply said, holding the Mega Bracelet up, "Use Hydro Cannon on the Numel!"

The Key Stone in the Mega Bracelet shimmered, the Mega Stone Swampert held followed in suite and soon she had a Mega Evolved Swampert crouched before her.

"Damn... Numel use Ember!"

"Sharpedo use Crunch!"

"Dodge, use Mud Bomb!"

"Pull through, Metagross! Prepare to use Giga Impact!"

"Swampert! Guard Metagross!" Quartz shouted over the sound of the Pokemon's battle cries. The Team Aqua Admin's Sharpedo crashed into Swampert's side, sending him reeling back onto the ground, he picked himself up, battered and breathing heavily.

"Damn. This battle's getting bad." Quartz thought, watching as Swampert narrowly avoided Numel's embers, only to have the Sharpedo grab ahold of his massive arm with razor sharp teeth.

"Swampert-"

"Metagross, use Giga Impact now!"

The 'X' on Metagross' face glowed as it rushed forwards at impossible speeds, hitting Sharpedo square in the side. Swampert, being free from Sharpedo's jaws, shook it's body and looked back at Quartz.

"Surf!" She shouted, not skipping a beat.

Water gathered under Swampert, sending him rising higher and higher before it all came crashing down. Water crashed against Quartz's legs, sending a shock of cold riveting up her body. A memory flashed through her head.

_An island loomed before her, the sea lapped at her knees as she wadded through the water. The night sky was ablaze with stars and a full moon gleamed overhead._

"Quartz, are you alright?"

"Hm?" Quartz snapped out of her trance, the cave was empty, they had beaten the Admins, "Oh, I'm alright. I just remembered something."

"What did you remember?"

"I was walking towards a beach." Quartz shrugged, "It could have just been a memory, nothing important."

"If you say so." Steven trailed off, glancing to the side, "We should check on that pokemon."

"Right."

* * *

><p>The deeper Quartz walked in the cave the colder it got, her breath appeared in clouds and she began to shiver. It was a slight shiver, but enough for Steven to stop and loan her his jacket. She wore it around her shoulders, holding the edges with shaking hands. The cold steel cuffs of his jacket brushed against her leg, another memory played across her vision.<p>

_They stood in a cave, gazing up at a complex mural painted centuries ago. His hand was close to hers, she could feel the cold radiating off the steel cuff of his jacket._

Quartz shook her head, another memory had flashed in her head. It was more of a thought than a memory.

"It's like the other one."

"What other one?" She asked herself mentally, rounding a corner. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her shoes crunching against the ground. Looking down Quartz was met with a blanket of white.

Snow.

"We're almost there." Steven warned, turning towards her, "The pokemon might be afraid and could lash out at us, just stay behind me."

"Okay." Quartz nodded, moving behind him as they continued down the frozen blanket.

A growl reached their ears and Steven stopped, icy air whispered against their skin and for a moment, Quartz thought she heard something approach them. She turned her head, scanning the cave behind them, there weren't any foot prints besides their own.

They proceeded further down the path of snow, a whimper slowly filled the air, growing louder as they walked along. It wasn't from Steven or Quartz.

"Oh." Steven stopped dead in his tracks, his fingers curling into fists.

Quartz peaked over his shoulder, and instantly regretted it.

A Glalie laid there with a pained expression in its eyes, staring at the trainers and trying to move its mouth to speak. It's armor had been cracked, a thin layer of ice covered the gashes. The Glalie attempted to get itself upright, small pieces of ice broke off the pokemon and fell to the snow.

"Don't move!" Quartz snapped, stepping out from behind Steven and approaching the Glalie carefully. She kept her hands out in front of her.

"It's okay, we're here to help. Those bad people are gone." She eased, the pokemon had stopped moving, taking to watching her.

"Here, use this." Steven instructed, leaning over her shoulder and sliding a small pink plastic spray bottle in her hands, "It's a Hyper Potion, use it on the Glalie's wounds."

Quartz did as Steven told her to, carefully spraying the Hyper Potion over the pokemon's injuries. The cracks in its armor began to close up, becoming small scratches that vanished with a new layer of ice. The Glalie hovered upright, completely healed. They turned to leave, but before Quartz could take a step, the Glalie raced around to her front.

"It seems this pokemon wishes to join you."

"Huh?" Quartz leaned down, coming to eye level with the Glalie, "Do you really want to join me?"

The Glalie nodded, a strange stone propped in a crevice in its armor glinted in the dim light, a Mega Stone.

"I'll give you a pokeball for Glalie to stay in." Steven smiled, handing an empty pokeball to Quartz, the red beam of light swallowed Glalie into the container and the cave fell silent soon after.

"Well then.. We should go back to Mossdeep." Steven suggested, letting out a sigh of relief, "Latios must be waiting for us."

"Okay!" Quartz grinned, turning slightly to clip Glalie's pokeball onto her belt. Her fingers brushed against the mysterious pokeball. Her vision swam and all Quartz could hear before she fell to the ground was Steven calling out her name.

* * *

><p><em>The white cloaked woman stood with her back to Quartz, crouched down before a huge wall mural Quartz couldn't quite make out. The woman's voice was only a murmur of words, but she stopped when Quartz approached her. She stood and turned, her cloak swirled around her legs, the glass bottle at her waist glinted in the sunlight that bled through the broken ceiling.<em>

_The woman said something Quartz couldn't hear, and a golden ring appeared next to her in mid air, wisps of shadows formed and fell away to reveal a pokemon unlike any Quartz had seen before._

_The woman walked down the staircase laid out before the mural, her face hidden by her hood. She stopped at the base of the staircase, extending her hand out to Quartz, a soft smile spreading over the woman's face._

_Quartz ran forwards, leaping into the woman's arms, the woman's hood flying back._

_"Mother!"_

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><p><strong>Annnnndddddd here's chapter four! Thank you to those of you who've reviewed this fanficiton thus far. The pieces of the puzzle are all starting to fall together and it is one of the most exciting things to write! <strong>

**As always, I appreciate reviews and constructive criticism so leave a review down below and I'll be sure to read it! **

**Till next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

_"What is it?" Quartz asked, looking at the pokeball on the table in front of her._

_"It's a Beldum, one of my favorite pokemon." Steven explained, his voice muddled and though he was behind her she knew he had a smile on his face._

_"I hope it will teach you the joys of steel type pokemon while you're on your journey."_

_"Thank you. I'll treasure him forever." Quartz smiled, pushing her chair out and standing up, her hand on top of the pokeball, "So Granite..."_

_Quartz had turned halfway through her sentence to find herself facing a ruin of sorts, she stood atop a raised platform, stairs extending downwards. Rain pelted down to the ground outside._

_She was alone._

* * *

><p>Quartz sat up slowly, looking around with blurred vision. She was back in Steven's house, the lights were off, but moonlight crossed the ground and fell on the body that slept on the ground. A smile crossed her face as she watched Steven turn over in his sleep.<p>

"Somehow, I feel that we knew each other more than you let on." Quartz whispered, turning her head to scan his house. Her bag sat on the table, the four pokeballs that had been on her belt stared at her.

"Wait. I had three back at the cave..." Quartz's mind stopped as she scrambled out of bed and over to the table. She picked up a pokeball marked with a silver line, Kyanite was inside, resting from his injuries. Quartz's eyes watered, she promised she would protect Kyanite, setting down the pokeball she wiped the tears from her eyes. Looking over her pokemon again, her eyes continued to fall on the mysterious pokeball she had touched earlier.

What was inside it? Quartz looked away, yawning, she'd better get back to sleep.

* * *

><p>When she awoke later it was day time and the house was empty, save for her pokemon. Quartz yawned as she sat up, how long had she been asleep for? Slipping out of the bed, Quartz walked to the table, finding that Steven had folded up a set. Of clothes for her to wear. She remember that she had a spare set of clothes in her bag before the storm. With a sigh she gathered her clothes and wandered into the bathroom, quickly changing her outfit.<p>

Quartz glanced over herself in the mirror, she wore a pair of dark gray shorts with a white tank top under a light blue tank top. She finished the outfit with a navy mini-jacket, the short sleeves flared at the end with an aqua gradient. Her hair laid over her shoulder in a low ponytail that just barely touched her collar bone and her eyes were a simple, blank gray that stared back at her, as if asking her her own questions.

"Who was I?" She wondered aloud, returning to the table to gather her bag, thinking of finding Steven. Her eye caught on the window, rather on what was happening outside. Steven was returning to the house, dressed like he always was, and followed by another man. The man had short dark hair and eyes, he wore a red zip up jacket over a white shirt and brown pants. He was familiar.

"You were never my daughter." Rang through her head and Quartz reeled back from the window, full on panic seeped through her body.

She ran to the table, grabbing one pokeball from the table and then running to the other window. Her bare feet pounded against the wooden floor boards. Quartz pulled herself onto the counter, crawling across and throwing open the window, she swung her legs over the ledge just as the door handle jostled.

Quartz fell onto her feet outside the window, her ankles were tickled by the grass, but she didn't have time to enjoy the feeling as she took off running. She could hear the front door being opened and the faint murmur of conversation before she hit the water. The morning ocean water sent a shock of cold up her body, but Quartz splashed through the water as quick as her feet could take her, soon she was in shoulder high water and swimming towards a cave opening in a rock outcropping.

She dragged herself onto the dry ground, breathing heavily as she clung to the pokeball in her hand. She was sure she brought Kyanite with her. Standing up, Quartz tucked the pokeball into her bag and proceeded on. The cave was familiar to her, it seemed to be affected by the tides as most of the lower levels of the cave were flooded with ocean water. Quartz could see glittering white sea shells just under the crystal waters and she passed small piles of salt, she found it odd, did a pokemon collect the salt into one spot or did it form their naturally?

"Shoal Cave. That's what this place is called." She breathed, gazing up at the damp ceiling, she remembered the cave from a long time ago. How she would wander through it and avoid the wild pokemon. Quartz stopped walking, she hadn't run into any wild pokemon yet, it was strange, very strange.

She heard a pair of footsteps just ahead of her and frowned, drawing out the pokeball from her bag and proceeding forwards slowly.

* * *

><p>"We'll find her, Norman." Steven comforted, placing a hand on the shoulder of the Petalburg Gym Leader. After Quartz had collapsed the day before he had gotten worried, he knew Norman was Quartz legal guardian and had called him just after he had laid Quartz to rest. The Gym Leader had flown over night to Mossdeep, arriving just that morning outside the Pokemon Center where Steven had met him. Upon returning home he had found the window above the kitchen counter open and the bed empty, the other thing that caught his eye was that Quartz's bag was missing from the table and that three of her pokemon sat in their pokeballs next to where her bag had been. It wasn't until he heard the splash of water did he realize what happened.<p>

Now they stood at the edge of Mossdeep, looking towards Shoal Cave.

He hoped they would find her this time.

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><p><strong>Welcome to the end of chapter five! It's a bit of a short chapter today, but we are starting to learn a little more about Quartz's past! <strong>

**As always, reviews are gladly appreciated so drop one down below and I'll see you guys next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

Quartz watched the surface of the water grow further and further above her, bubbles blinded the edges of her vision as she sunk lower and lower into the tidal pool.

How did she get here?

* * *

><p>She faced Tabitha in the depths of Shoal Cave, shock written across both their faces. Tabitha was the first to snap out of the confusion, anger crossed his face and he stormed closer to the teen.<p>

"You! You impudent child!" Tabitha growled, grasping her around the neck and lifting her off the ground, though with his shorter stature her toes brushed against the cave floor.

"The loss of that pokemon destroyed Team Magma's plans! I should eliminate you while I have the chance!"

She grabbed his arm, trying to free herself, through quickly blurring vision Quartz found herself in trouble. Her legs kicked wildly, hoping to hit something vital, but found open air. In a last ditch effort she reached for the pokeball she had slipped onto her belt before confronting Tabitha. Kyanite could help her escape.

Tabitha took notice and threw her to the side, Quartz skid across the ground, dangerously near the edge of the deep tidal pools. Stunned, Quartz laid motionless, trying to regain her strength. She pushed herself up and back onto her feet, reaching for the pokeball all she saw before she blacked out was a ball of shadows rushing towards her.

The energy crashed into her chest, throwing her back over the edge of the tidal pools, the force knocked the air out of her. Breaking the surface of the water she immediately began to sink.

Is this the end?

Quartz felt her back scrape against the bottom of the tidal pool, the glass bottle slipped from her bag and laid on the floor of the tidal pool next to her. It reminded her of the night of the storm.

* * *

><p><em>Quartz stood on the deck, angry storm clouds fast approaching. The captain of the little boat had returned to the control room after asking her to return below deck. She had brushed him off, keeping her eyes glued to the glass bottle in her hands, only hiding it when the captain or the crew approached.<em>

_It had belonged to her mother, it was special to her._

_With the setting sun obscured by the storm, Quartz sighed, tucked the bottle away and returned to her small cabin below deck. She collapsed onto the bed and let the rock of the ship lull her to sleep._

_When she awoke to a clap of thunder, Quartz found herself perched precariously on the edge of the bed, ready to roll off at any given moment. She stood with difficultly as the ship violently jerked to one side, the lights flickered on and off as lightning flashed outside. She fought to get up on deck, trying to make her way to the control room before she was washed off deck._

_Just before the rouge wave had swept over the little boat, the pokeball at her waist opened and a pokemon appeared. It was small with detached arms that hovered at its side, a mischievous grin spread across its face. The rain and darkness did nothing to wet it's magenta colored hair or dim the light of its gold rings._

_"Get us out of here, Hoopa!" Quartz shouted over the raging winds, Hoopa lifted its arms, the ring it held in its hand expanded, the interior growing with shadows. The ship listed, throwing Quartz and Hoopa through the ring._

_The storm screamed at Quartz behind her as she fell through the ring's shadows, an opening was ahead and she braced herself for impact. She felt herself hit the water's surface and then, nothing._

* * *

><p>Quartz's eyes snapped open, that wasn't Kyanite's pokeball she had grabbed. Her hand reached out and grasped the glass bottle, she kicked herself up off the pool's floor and swam towards the surface.<p>

When she broke the surface, Quartz gasped for air, splashing up the rocky side and back onto the cave floor she was surprised to see Tabitha still there. Shock fell across his face as he dropped the device he had been speaking into.

Her hand tightened around the pokeball, Hoopa's pokeball, she lifted her arm and prepared to throw it.

"Hoopa-!"

"Ancient Power!"

The wall between Quartz and Tabitha erupted in a cloud of dirt and dust as rocks crashed against rocks and shattered. Quartz threw her arms over her face and braced herself, peaking out as the cloud settled.

Steven and the dark haired man stood there, a strange flower like pokemon stood at Steven's side, it's head bowed as it returned to its pokeball.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey readers! Please excuse me missing Saturday's update, I was swamped with an essay that day, but now I'm back! I'll be doing a double update today to make up for missed time! <strong>

**Ive noticed that a lot more people have begun to follow this fanfic as it unfolds, I really appreciate that, but like any writer I would love to have some feed back from you readers so I know what to work on next chapter. So if you could, drop a review down below and I really appreciate it!**

**Well, like always, I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Quartz held onto the back of Norman's jacket, not even daring a look at the night sky as Mossdeep grew smaller behind them. She was dry, although a little cold and very tired. She couldn't drift to sleep though, the beating wings of Norman's Swellow jostled her slightly. So Quartz was stuck thinking to herself while Norman directed them to a small town called Littleroot.

* * *

><p>She sat at Steven's table, the glass bottle sitting on the table with Norman and Steven sitting in front of her. A towel was wrapped around her shoulders, she had changed her clothing, though she still shook slightly.<p>

"So you don't remember anything?" Norman asked calmly, his hands resting in his lap.

Quartz nodded her head, keeping her eyes glued to the glass bottle.

"All I remember is the ship and the storm." Her throat hurt, she had been telling Norman her tale since they got back to Steven's house. Though she purposely left out any information about the woman in white or Hoopa.

"And this bottle is all you have?"

"Yes, I remember that it was given to me... I can't remember who though." She lied, something about the woman in white, her mother, made it difficult to mention.

Norman sighed, resting his face in his hands.

"Alright... Thank you, Champion, for contacting me."

Quartz realized where this conversation was going, she had to ask now.

"I remember you, slightly." She started, catching Norman's attention, "I remember an argument... You said I was never your daughter... What did you mean by that?"

Steven gave Norman a look filled with interest and... anger?

"I... You aren't mine biologically." Norman began, uneasy, but soon steeling himself, "I'm your godfather, your father left you in my care when he passed away."

"What about my mother?" Quartz asked, starting to put pieces together.

"Your mother went missing when you were born, they haven't found her." Norman shook his head, "Im sorry you had to hear this again, let's just go home."

Quartz looked at Steven, he had averted his eyes and refused to meet her gaze.

"Okay..."

She stood up, shakily, putting anyway the glass bottle and preparing to follow Norman out the door. Her godfather had already left the house, waiting outside with his Swellow.

"Thank you, Steven. " Quartz smiled softly, turning just before the door to face Steven, "I'm sorry I gave you all this trouble-"

Steven had stepped forwards, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. His shoulders shook, from fear or from sadness, Quartz couldn't tell.

"Any time you need to talk Quartz, contact me. You don't have to go through this alone." He whispered to her, releasing her from his arms and walking further into his house.

Quartz opened the door, looking back at Steven, she felt she should have said something, but turned and left him.

* * *

><p>She looked below her, a little town was fast approaching. There weren't many lights on, but Quartz could see the house they would land in front of. She remembered it, sitting in the back of a moving truck for hours on end and finally seeing the house in the dying sunlight.<p>

"Welcome home, Quartz." Norman said, hopping off the back of his Swellow and going to open the front door. Before Quartz herself could make it into the house a pair of footsteps raced towards her and a pair of thin spindly arms wrapped around her waist.

When she had regained her balance, Quartz realized a young girl had hugged her, and wasn't going to let go anytime soon. She rested her hands on the girl's honey haired head and smiled as a name passed her lips.

"May..."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was a short chapter, not that I mind... Anyways, we're all caught up on schedule! Which means it's time fore his announcement. I will be taking a short hiatus until the end of this month, this hiatus will allow me to plan out the next chapters and where the story will go from here! <strong>

**I'd like to thank everyone for their support in either dropping a review, favoriting or following this story. I can't even begin to explain how happy I get when I see someone has left a review or followed this fanfic.**

**I'll see you readers at the end of this month with new chapters!**


	8. Chapter 8

Nearly three weeks had passed since Quartz returned to Littleroot, and she found herself remembering things often, sometimes it was little things like what May's favorite food was or how Norman took his coffee. Other times they were large memories, conversations she had, people she had met, places she had been.

She had taken to writing her memories down in a notebook May had loaned her, the ten year old having gone off on her pokemon journey little less than a week ago with a little Torchic. When she had started writing her memories down, the dreams began.

They were all the same, though sometimes she'd get further before she woke up.

She was back in the stone temple, the painted mural behind her and rain plummeting down outside. Quartz would walk to the door, and would walk outside, sometimes the dream would end there. Other times she'd walk through a village of stones, the details of the houses would fade away upon waking up. She would walk until she reached a small cabin with the lights still on. When she opened the door Quartz always woke up.

The dreams unnerved her, at least to the extent where she couldn't sleep at night.

And now she was seeing things.

* * *

><p>Quartz had her eyes glued to the window in the kitchen, she could have sworn she saw a pair of eyes watching her from the shadows of the forest.<p>

"Quartz?" Caroline asked, snapping the teen from her daze.

"Huh?" Quartz asked, looking over at her godmother.

"Are you okay? Did you sleep well?" Caroline asked, watching as Quartz pushed around her oatmeal for a few seconds in silence.

"I'm fine." Quartz responded, taking a spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth and shuddering, it was cold, "Really, I am."

"I trust you... It's just that I feel worried for you. You haven't been the same since May left." Caroline shrugged, returning to the task of washing dishes, "If you ever need to talk... Don't hesitate, alright?"

Quartz's eyes cast downwards, Steven had said something along the lines of those words. She finished her oatmeal and stood up, dropping her dishes by the sink and leaving the kitchen without another word.

* * *

><p>When she entered her room Quartz did a double take, she knew someone had been in there. Her window was open and the wind whispered against her curtains, she was sure she had closed it. Quartz walked over to the window and placed her hands on the window sill, the wind carried the smell of rain and dark clouds billowed nearby. A storm was rolling in, leaning out she closed and locked her windows, drawing the curtains and bathing the room in shadows.<p>

She turned on the lamp on her desk and scanned her room, she hadn't been in it for almost two years, yet not a speck of dust was to be seen and it was like she had never left in the first place. Her bed was pushed in the corner, covered in comforters and plush pillows. Across from the door, Quartz's desk sat, neatly organized with her diary opened on top of it, a pencil laid next to the diary, waiting to be used. A closet stood across from her bed, filled with old clothing that smelt faintly of lavender.

The walls were bare, painted a soft shade of cream with only the windows and a wall clock to break the bleakness. She was sure at one point there had been photographs on the wall, though she couldn't quite recall what they were of.

Quartz sighed, sitting down at her desk and picked up the pencil, turning to a blank page in her diary she quickly jotted down the strange events she had seen so far that day, at that moment another memory popped into her head.

_"Quartz?" May asked, laying on Quartz's bed as her sister worked at her desk._

_"Hm?" Quartz asked, pulling herself away from the letter she was writing._

_"Do you like him?"_

_Quartz looked back at the letters on her desk, a smile on her face. The letters she had received were kept in a long tin container, of which she would tuck away in a small alcove between the wall and her desk._

She shook herself free from the memory and glanced over at the space between her desk and the wall. Maybe she could get more answers from the letters. Her arm reached down into the space, fingers feeling the dusty floor until cool metal touched the tip of her pinkie. Quartz grabbed the tin container, drawing it towards her. Her fingers left imprints in the dust that covered the container, Quartz could make out the faint carvings on the lid of the container, it was a pokeball, nothing more or less. She popped the lid open, letter upon letter stared back at her, each covered in dust and each in various degrees of wear and tear. Her fingers reached in and picked up a single letter as she moved back to her desk. There were a lot of letters in that box, she'd better start reading.

_Dear Quartz..._

* * *

><p>Quartz hadn't realized how long she had been reading for until Caroline knocked on her door. It was dark out and Norman would be coming home soon, she tucked away her letter box and stood to answer her door. Grabbing Kyanite's pokeball as she did so.<p>

She found herself sitting at the kitchen table once more, an uneasy feeling in her gut as she kept her eyes glued to the window. Caroline had just gotten off the phone with an exasperated sigh.

"Norman won't be home for another hour or two..." Caroline sighed, sitting down across from Quartz, "Sometimes I just don't know what goes through that man's head."

Quartz tore her eyes away from the window, giving Caroline a look of sympathy as she reached across the table and took her godmother's hands.

"Thank you, Quartz. With May and Norman gone from the house it's nice to have some company."

Quartz nodded, glancing back at the window and reeling back in shock. A face had been staring into the house. She stood quickly, almost knocking over the chair as she sprinted towards the door. The face had disappeared by the time Quartz had wrestled the door open, but yet the teen raced outside with Caroline following in pursuit.

"Wait! Don't go!" Quartz shouted after the figure as it bolted into the forest, the magenta scarf they wore billowed out behind them. She went to chase after them into the forest, but the falling rain had made the ground slick and Quartz toppled to the ground, Caroline skidding to a halt next to her.

"Quartz!" Caroline cried, embracing her god-daughter, "There's no one there Quartz. There's no one there."

But there had been someone, right? She wasn't just imagining things.. Was she?

* * *

><p><strong>And I'm back from break! I know it's a little late, but it's here now! I really appreciate the follows, favorites and reviews this fic has received, so thank you! <strong>

**Like always, reviews are gladly appreciatedand constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, so drop a review down below and I'll see you guys next chapter! **


	9. Chapter 9

Quartz laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her door was locked, like it had been for the past two days. Caroline had given up begging the teen to come out and Norman hadn't the time to remove the door yet. She sat up, she should have been reading the letters in her box or writing in her journal, but she couldn't remember if she had already done so. It seemed that whenever she regained a memory she became more forgetful, it scared her to say the least.

She swung her legs over her bed and paced across the room, thinking. Had she really imagined the figure in the magenta scarf? Quartz shook her head, of course she didn't imagine it. With a sigh she made her way over to her desk and opened her letter box, something felt like it was missing. Quartz picked up the box, spilling its contents out, there appeared to be more than just letters inside the box as little stones rolled out and glittered in the light of her desk lamp. The stones had little interest to her, a small envelope had caught her eye. The envelope was plain white and had been opened before, the small black symbol on the front caught her eye.

She had seen that symbol before.

Quartz set the envelope aside, digging through her bag for the glass bottle and holding it to the light. The same symbol written on the envelope had been painted on the glass bottle. Setting the bottle onto the desk, Quartz picked up the envelope, it was lighter than the rest of her letters. Finally, there might be some answers to why she disappeared.

When she opened the envelope, Quartz couldn't contain the anger inside her, the envelope was empty. She slammed her hands down on the desk and cried out in frustration, pushing everything off her desk and to the ground. Kyanite's pokeball opened from its spot on her bed, the Beldum raced to its trainer's side, concern welling in its red eye. There was the sound of footsteps downstairs.

"I'm sorry, Kyanite." Quartz whispered, taking deep breaths, "I thought that I'd finally find some answers, but more questions keep piling up."

Kyanite nuzzled into Quartz's outstretched hand, tears forming in it's trainer's eyes.

"Who was I before?" Quartz mumbled, wiping away the tears.

A knock on the door broke her from her trance.

"Quartz?" A familiar voice said from behind the door, "It's Steven."

Her eyes widened as her hand fell to her side, Caroline or Norman must have called him. When she said nothing Steven spoke up.

"I know you might not want to talk, but we're all worried about you."

Quartz remained motionless, her eyes glancing down at the ground.

"Caroline told me that you've had nightmares... And that you've taken to locking yourself away. Quartz, don't do this to yourself... please." Steven's voice was soft, "Just, let me in."

Her feet moved automatically towards the door before stopping, her hand hovered above the door lock and Kyanite hovered just behind her.

"Who was I to you Steven?" Quartz asked, bringing her hand back down to her side.

Steven was silent for a moment before he spoke up again.

"A good friend."

"Was that all?"

"... Yes." It sounded almost forced, but Quartz pushed it aside.

"How did you know me?" She pressed, she needed answers.

"You lived in Rustboro City for a while, you were in my class at the Trainers School."

Rustboro City, it must have been that city Quartz saw near Petalburg. Quartz recalled warmth and the smell of books at the thought of Rustboro, a strange feeling pained her chest.

"When you left for Jhoto to live with Norman we wrote to each other."

She remembered, glancing back at the letters Steven had written her that were strewn across the floor. He would send her letters during his journey, sometimes with stones or little trinkets, and she would do the same.

"You moved back to Hoenn... and then I didn't hear from you for two years."

Quartz took a deep breath, stepping closer to the door.

"I'm here now." She answered, "Thanks to you, I remember a few things like Hoopa."

She let the name slip and Steven fell silent.

"I'm glad you're here... I wish I could spend more time with you, but I have business in Rustboro City." Steven spoke with a stronger tone, composing himself, "I'll be back to check on you. I promise."

Quartz waited until Steven had closed the door downstairs to unlock her door and peak her head out. She had things to do and questions to get answers for.

* * *

><p>Steven's fingers curled around the edges of Skarmory's steel armor as the pokemon took to the sky. His mind was in deep thought, he had heard the name Hoopa before. Once, a very long time ago.<p>

Littleroot Town grew smaller and smaller below the champion as he directed his Skarmory towards Rustboro until Littleroot was out of sight. Steven sighed, turning Skarmory towards the ocean, eyes glued on the pale volcanic crater jutting out from the cerulean waters. He had questions that needed answers for.

* * *

><p><strong>A little bit of a short chapter this time, wish I could have made it longer... But anyways! I'm starting to get back into the flow of writing and back into my update schedule! Like always, reviews and constructive criticism are always wanted and appreciated! <strong>

**With that, I'll see you guys Wednesday!**


	10. Chapter 10

Steven stood, pacing around Wallace's kitchen in deep thought. How would he explain this? The Sootopolitan gym leader watched his friend from the table, clearing his throat to speak.

"You wanted to ask me something?" Wallace pressed with a soft smile on his face, breaking Steven from his trance, the silver haired man stopped his pacing and looked at his childhood friend. His arms dropped to his sides, but moments later crossed over his chest as he sighed.

"I was wondering if you've ever heard of Hoopa?" The smile on Wallace's face dropped, his expression became grim.

"I've heard that name before, yes. Hoopa is an ancient pokemon, but most of the stories about it are just rumors."

"What are these stories like?" Steven was curious, his mind already putting together pieces of the puzzle.

"They say Hoopa can open portals to anywhere in the world, these portals are said to have once been able to swallow islands whole." Wallace explained, folding his hands on the table, "Apparently, Hoopa's true form was sealed away inside a glass bottle three thousand years ago."

"During the war..." Steven added, "What about this glass bottle, what happened to it?"

"The glass bottle? Once sealed it was called the Prison Bottle, last I heard there was a clan that protected the Prison Bottle... Why the sudden interest in this, Steven?" Wallace asked, looking at his friend with a coy smirk on his face.

"It's... Quartz. She's back."

Before Steven could explain further his pokenav rang, he excused himself from Wallace's kitchen and pulled out the small device.

"She's gone!" Caroline cried from the other end of the line.

A shock of cold ran through Steven as he froze, eyes wide.

Gone?

"W-what happened?" Steven asked, shaking himself out of his trance.

"I don't- I don't know. Her bag is still here and so are her pokemon, but- Quartz is missing!"

"I'm coming over, call Norman and tell him everything." Steven calmly said, his body betraying his voice, his hand shook as he hung up and tucked the pokenav away. Walking back into the kitchen, Wallace stood up, concern written across his face.

"Is everything alright?"

"I've got to go. We'll catch up later." Steven quickly said, leaving Wallace's house and finding Latios already waiting for him, it seemed the Eon pokemon could sense his distress as it tilted for him to get on its back. Steven climbed on, holding tight to Latios as the pokemon took to the skies.

"Take us to Littleroot town!"

* * *

><p>Quartz's room looked as if she had just stepped out for a moment. Her bed was made, but her bag sat on the edge, its contents spilled out into a pile. Something was missing, Steven stared at the items on her bed before it hit him. The Prison Bottle was gone, that must have meant she found Hoopa... Or Hoopa came to her.<p>

Steven shook his head, he was over thinking.

Maybe she had just gone for a walk and forgot to tell Caroline.

Norman was downstairs, consoling Caroline. They had called May a little earlier, the ten year old was on her way home. Steven felt bad tearing the trainer away from her journey so soon, they had met for a moment in Granite Cave, the young trainer recognizing him instantly. He shook his head, he had to concentrate.

Quartz's desk caught his interest, letters were spilled across it, his handwriting splashed across the envelopes and pages inside. The little stones he had sent her on his journey glinted in the rising sunlight, it had taken him all night to fly over to Littleroot from Sootopolis, and he was fighting off his exhaustion. Steven's hands reached out and glided across the surface of her desk, coming to rest on the corner of the journal that sat open and facing down. He picked up the journal, turning it over cautiously, the pages were bent as if it had just been thrown onto the desk before she left.

The pages were filled with her neat handwriting, nothing wrong there, but what was written was interesting.

_I was in the temple again last night, there wasn't a storm like there always has been. Instead there was a full moon and lots of stars. When I walked outside, Hoopa was waiting for me. I followed it through the small town, towards the little cabin like always, but before we made it there, Hoopa turned right. When I pursued, I found myself weaving through a forest and soon I was at a beach. I remember the beach, I arrived on it two years ago. Hoopa stood waiting for me, a gold ring expanded behind it, shadows formed inside the gold ring. I woke up after that. _

_I can't help but feel that Hoopa was trying to tell me something, something important. Was that woman in my other dreams really my mother? And how does this glass bottle connect to her? _

_I don't like this, there's too many questions._

Steven glanced at the entry date, it was two days ago. He turned to the next page, hoping for more answers.

_I remember now. Mother sent me a letter, two years ago. I read that letter, i don't remember what was on it, but I remember packing a bag and waiting. I don't know where the letter is now, I have the envelope, but not what was inside. Strange._

The rest of the entry was blank, save for a small sentence at the bottom.

_Norman has the letter._

Steven almost dropped the journal in his haste to get to Norman, he had to act quick or risk losing Quartz again.

* * *

><p><strong>And another short chapter, I promise the next one will be longer. Anyways, things are starting to get even more interesting. <strong>

**As always, reviews are gladly accepted and constructive criticism is accepted greatly. **

**Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

Quartz groaned as she pushed herself off the sand, the waves lapped at the back of her legs and the stars twinkled overhead. She sat on her haunches, gazing up at the thick forest ahead of her, it was all so familiar.

She had been here before, with the moon high over head and the stars hidden by thin gray clouds.

Quartz reached for Kyanite's pokeball at her waist, finding that she hadn't brought her bag with her this time. She glanced ahead, the glass bottle sat in the sand, waiting for her to pick it up. A shadow loomed on her right, when she glanced over the air was empty, then she looked up. Hoopa hovered there, gold rings gleaming and the same mischievous smile on their face.

"You're..." Quartz didn't get to finish her sentence as Hoopa glided across the sand and stopped just before the forest, turning and watching her as if waiting. Quartz scrambled to her feet, stumbling across the sand towards Hoopa she halted midway and looked back. The ocean was calm, far away she could just see the faint glimmer of city lights over the black waters.

* * *

><p>Steven clung to the back of Latios, they were high up in the air now, just below the clouds. It had been too dark to see anything earlier, and now all he saw was the endless expanse of the ocean. He glanced over the side of Latios, searching the waters for the island mentioned in Quartz's letter, all the while recalling the contents of the letter.<p>

_Quartz,_

_It's been years. I would like to meet you soon, so I am sending you my most trusted friend, show them the card enclosed in this letter and they will take you there._

_With Love,_

_-Mother_

There had been a little card inside the letter as was described. Written across it in spidery handwriting was a set of numbers, coordinates. Steven had entered those coordinates into his Pokenav and was now following them. The coordinates had taken him to an empty space in the water. Just as Norman had found it before.

Steven contemplated landing on a nearby island, maybe he entered the coordinates wrong. Latios hovered in the sky, face pointed towards the vast expanse of water, refusing to turn away.

"What's wrong Latios?" Steven asked, glancing in the direction Latios was focused on. It was almost midday, the sun was high overhead and beating down on Steven, and that's when he saw it.

The island stood there, covered in thick foliage with a gray slab breaking the emerald green. It was as if a veil had been lifted.

"This must be a mirage island..." Steven mused to himself, "Which is why Norman wasn't able to find it... Latios, take us down."

* * *

><p>Quartz stumbled out of the forest, it was almost midday, how long had she been in there for? She glanced back, the path she had taken had vanished.<p>

"Hoop." Hoopa called, turning slightly.

"Coming." Quartz nodded, walking towards the gold ringed pokemon and looking around her as they walked. They appeared to be in a small stone town, moss grew on the ancient walls and many of the thatched roofs were caved in, allowing the midday sun to pour into the dusty interior.

"I know this place!" Quartz realized, "It's the same as my dreams... That must mean.."

She parted from Hoopa's side, veering right and making her way through a narrow space between two houses. She came out into a small garden, it was slightly overgrown, but the plants she recognized. After all, she had tended to them when she had been here, but the garden wasn't what she was here for. Before Quartz stood a small cabin, it was more modern than the surrounding town. The red curtains inside were drawn and the lights were off, but strangely, the door was unlocked as Quartz entered. A fine layer of dust had settled, the cabin was empty. There was a small kitchen area, two cots and a table in the center of the room. Hoopa hovered in the doorway as Quartz sat before the table, a picture frame laid face down, the little shards of glass around it indicated the glass was broken.

Quartz carefully picked up the frame, a photograph stared back at her. The photograph was of a man and a woman, from the way they were dressed Quartz guessed this was a wedding photo. The woman wore a long tiered white ball gown, the edges curved up like the petals of a rose, her hair was short and pale blond, a long clump of hair was curled delicately and fell against her right shoulder. Her bottle green eyes smiled brighter than any star Quartz had seen. The man next to her had short honey hair and soft gray eyes hidden behind a pair of wiry glasses. Quartz recognized him as her father... then that meant the woman must have been her mother..

_"Dad?"_

_"Hm? Oh, you're back? How was Steven?" Her father grinned, crouching down before his daughter._

_"How did you meet mom?" She asked, ignoring his question. Her father froze, the smile on his face fought not to falter._

_"Well... Your mother was a very powerful trainer, but she wasn't very coordinated when she was young. I remember when she fell out of a tree on top of me in Fortree City..."_

Hoopa called to her, breaking Quartz from her trance. She put down the photograph and stood to leave, but turned back to the photograph and carefully pulled it from the broken frame, tucking it into the pocket of her shorts.

She was led through the stone town, slowly she began to remember the days she spent wandering.

* * *

><p>Steven dropped to the sandy beach, Latios soaring away into the cerulean sky, the Eon Pokemon circled the island for a while. Straightening his outfit, Steven rushed into the forest, but he hadn't made much headway when he heard them. He dove behind the nearest bush as a pair of footsteps approached.<p>

"So why are we on this island anyways?" One asked with a sigh.

"Boss says there's a powerful pokemon on this island." The other responded.

"What like one of the Eon Pokemon?"

"Couldn't be. They've already sent Courtney to the Southern Island."

The grunts voices faded away and Steven rose from the bush when he was sure they were gone.

"This is bad... I've got to find Quartz before they do." Steven whispered to himself, finding a path nearby he began to run, hoping to make it to Quartz before Team Magma could.

* * *

><p>"I remember what mom told me about this town." Quartz started, hoping to break the silence between her and Hoopa.<p>

"She told me this town dates back three thousand years ago, back during this huge war. She said that a clan known as the Wardens fled to this island and built their town here, she said they revered Hoopa. It must have been one of your ancestors, there's no way you could have lived that long." Quartz shrugged with a small smile, walking past Hoopa as they stopped to think a moment.

Quartz found herself looking up at a large stone building, it was covered in faded black paintings, much like the ones she had seen through the village and in the cave with Steven. Moss and vines covered most of the surface and obscured the paintings, small trees and plants grew inside. When Quartz stepped under the doorway she found the the ceiling had caved in at points, letting vines hang freely into the building, small pools of water had gathered on the uneven titled floor and a set of stairs led up to a platform. On the back wall of the platform, Quartz could see the top of a wall mural, the black paint on it looked well maintained.

She felt something was missing.

Quartz walked up the stairs, Hoopa following her closely.

When she got to the top, she saw the mural in full.

* * *

><p>Steven broke out of the tree line, stumbling forwards he braced himself against a stone wall. The metal rings on his jacket clattered against the wall as he propped himself up and regained his breath. He looked around him, finding that similar walls were lined up on either side of him, it appeared that Steven was on the edge of a village made of stone.<p>

As he pushed further into the village, he was reminded of the Ruins of Alph in the Jhoto region, he had a small picture of the ruins at his home in Mossdeep, Quartz had sent it to him a long time ago... Maybe he could go explore them himself. Shaking himself free from the thought of travel, Steven straightened his jacket and glanced around him.

He heard a scream, his blood turned to ice and it felt as if his heart had stopped.

"Quartz!"

* * *

><p>Quartz fell to her knees before the mural, her eyes wide and her body shaking. The mural depicted a six armed pokemon, it's arms were detached and it stood on two legs, a large gold ring behind it. Before the pokemon were the images of people bowing before it, as if in worship, one in a white cloak held up a small glass bottle towards the pokemon.<p>

She knew this mural, she knew the story behind it.

A flood gate of memories had opened in her mind, before her she remembered moments, people, noises and places she had seen and heard. She remembered Steven, and she remembered her mother.

* * *

><p><em>She stood staring at the woman in the white cloak for what seemed like an eternity. The woman looked like her, with her long pale blond hair pulled into a ponytail that spilled over her left shoulder. Kind green eyes smiled at her from under the white hood's shadow, her lips curled into a small smile and words spilled from her mouth.<em>

_"It's been so long. I almost forgot that you have your father's eyes."_

_Quartz leapt at the woman, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. She remembered the woman, she had seen pictures in her old apartment in Rustboro City._

_"I've missed you too." Her mother chuckled, returning the embrace "Come now, I've got a lot of explaining to do."_

_Quartz sat across her mother at the table in her cabin, a cup of steaming tea was set down before her, the strange pokemon her mother was trailed by had gone off somewhere. Her mother had shed her cloak, hanging it by the door and revealing the gray and magenta robes she wore._

_"Now, I'll begin." Her mother breathed, setting down the cup of tea on the table._

_"It started three thousand years ago..."_

_"During the Great War a weapon was built in Kalos, using the life force of pokemon this ultimate weapon nearly destroyed the world. Then, as if from nowhere, Hoopa appeared in it's great and terrible form. It moved islands, whole cities and brought mischief. It was then that an ancient clan stepped up, they sealed Hoopa's true power away and vowed to protect the world from Hoopa's mischief."_

_Her mother paused and took a sip of tea, setting a small glass bottle onto the table._

_"The Prison Bottle." She pointed to the bottle, "It is said that this contains the true power of Hoopa. Hold it."_

_Quartz's hand extended, her fingers wrapped around the bottle neck and a chill ran down her spine._

_"It took me years to find it, but I did... So much of our history has been lost. I called you here, Quartz, to ask you for your assistance in finding out what happened to our clan."_

_"I'll do it." Quartz nodded, releasing the Prison Bottle._

_Her mother smiled, and took another sip of tea._

_Quartz awoke to the sound of thunder and the crack of lightning. Rain pummeled the old cabin roof and an eerie feeling washed over Quartz as she sat up and glanced around the cabin. Her mother's cot laid empty, the covers neatly made, and her white cloak was gone from its hook by the door._

_Could she have gone outside?_

_Quartz scrambled to her feet, tucking a blanket around her and grabbing the flashlight from her bag. Kyanite stirred from the cot, but Quartz turned and told the little robotic pokemon she'd be back soon. She opened the door to the outside, rain plummeted down and a cold fog whispered at the warm cabin air. A white flash of lightning was followed by a roar of thunder that shook the old cabin. Quartz took a deep breath and sprinted outside, she skittered from house to house, intent on avoiding any contact with the rain or lightning._

_She found herself in the old temple, rain crashed through the holed roof and a lamp light flickered._

_"Mom?" Quartz asked loudly over the thunder, stepping onto the first step of the staircase._

_A murmured response was just barely audible over the storm. She raced up the stairs, finding her mother collapsed on the floor, weakly holding herself up._

_"Mother!" Quartz cried, falling to her knees and stripping the blanket from her shoulders._

_"I fear... My time is ending." Her mother grunted, pushing her daughter's hands away._

_"No... I've only just met you! You can't leave!"_

_A small smile spread across her mother's face._

_"Meeting you again, was the best thing." She whispered, her voice wavering, "Promise me you'll finish our research."_

_Quartz was silent for a long time, her body shook and tears streamed down her face._

_"I promise."_

_She stood before the grave she had made for her mother, there was no headstone, no marker that it was her grave save for the flowers that Kyanite had covered it in. She steeled herself, she couldn't cry, no more crying. She had to be strong for her mother, for Hoopa and Kyanite._

_The Prison Bottle glittered in her right hand, Hoopa was not too far away, but it did not eye the bottle as it had done before, instead the pokemon's head was tilted down._

_Quartz raised her head, turned and left the grave, she had work to do._

_Her mother had a box of documents she had been looking at, and a radio that had a long antenna with it. She had set up the antenna with a little help from Kyanite, a weak signal came through the radio._

_It had taken weeks before Quartz actually heard anything of interest, it was late at night, the radio announcer's voice was heard all through the cabin and Quartz was leafing through one of the documents from the box._

_"Scientists have said they haven't seen anything like it... Golden rings floating in midair... Islands that disappear..." The radio crackled, static blurring most of the message, Quartz tore herself away from the document, adjusting the radio for better signal._

_"Theorize that more rings like this could be found around Hoenn... In other news, Champion Steven Stone remains supreme after a gauntlet of six trainers..."_

_Quartz cringed as the radio fell into static again, she reached out and shut it off, intent on going back to the document._

_Islands that disappear and mysterious floating rings..._

_"Could there be another Hoopa out there?" Quartz mused to herself, her mind wandering off to the second segment of the radio broadcast._

_"I haven't seen him in months, wonder if he still..." She trailed off, shaking her head and pushing the document away. She needed sleep, and she needed to prepare to leave for Hoenn in the morning._

* * *

><p>Quartz found herself back in the old temple again, she felt weak as she sat up, her head hurt and it was hard to think straight. She remembered though, her time on the island. Just as she was about to think back on it, a pair of footsteps rushed up the stairs.<p>

"Quartz!" Steven shouted, his voice shaking as he slowed his pace and walked to her, kneeling down in front of her "Are you alright? Can you walk?"

Quartz glanced over him, his hands her shaking as they rested on her shoulders.

"I think I can." She nodded slowly, standing up with Steven and stumbling into his chest. Her legs felt like lead and even standing had made her head swim.

Steven's arm dropped under her knees, lifting her bridal style as she clung to his neck in surprise.

"We have to get out of here." Steven explained, carrying her down the stairs, "Team Magma is going to-!"

Quartz didn't hear the rest of his sentence as Steven whipped around and stumbled forwards, dark energy exploding against his back.

He fell to his knees, Quartz scrambling from his arms.

"Steven!" She cried, catching him before he fell unconscious. She looked up at where the energy had come from.

A Mighteyna stood nearby, ready to pounce on them at any moment, behind the dark wolf like pokemon stood a group of men and women, clad in red.

* * *

><p><strong>WOOO DID THIS TAKE FOREVER TO WRITE! It's a day late but I've finished this chapter and I am so happy that I did. <strong>

**As always reviews are gladly accepted and with that I'll see you guys next chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

Quartz clung to Latios' back, a heavy rain attacked her with full force as they raced across open water towards the pale mountainous crater that jutted from the churning ocean. Steven's back pressed against her chest as Quartz held him tightly with one arm looped around his waist, he was breathing raggedly, the blow he had taken earlier had severely injured him. It was too dark to fly to Lily Cove, and Quartz couldn't even see Moss Deep through the rain. Why didn't she just stay on the island? She couldn't even go back now, for the moment she had taken off from the island it had vanished before her eyes, as if it had never been there in the first place.

The only place she could think of to go would be Sootopolis, to try and get help from Wallace. She rememberd him from the letters Steven had sent her, hopefully he would help them. The city was just below them and Latios swooped down, letting them off before a grand tree covered in bright leaves and flowers. Mud splashed against Quartz's legs as she propped Steven against her, slinging one of his arms over her shoulder and wrapping her free arm around his waist. She progressed as quick as she could, trying to escape the slick muddy grass and struggling on the wet staircases that Sootopolis was practically made from. Thunder crashed overhead and lightning illuminated the sky.

She finally arrived at the blue doored house that belonged to Wallace, the lights were on inside. Quartz freed one arm from Steven and pounded on the door until she heard footsteps approaching. The lock on the door clicked and the door swung open to reveal an irritated Wallace, the moment his eyes fell on the pair standing at his door he ushered them inside, closing and locking the door behind him.

Wallace rushed through the house, closing the curtains and checking all the doors before returning with two large teal towels. He scooped Steven from Quartz's arms, guiding her into the kitchen, the long scarf Wallace wore flowed behind him with each step. Steven was shivering as Wallace propped him up on the kitchen counter and began stripping his soaking wet clothing from him. The entire back of his white shirt was a sticky crimson that sent shivers down Quartz's spine.

"Keep these close." Wallace instructed, dumping a handful of icy cold metal into Quartz's hand, his voice seemed so far away. She glanced down counting four rings and Steven's stick pin. The Key Stone still glittered despite the storm.

A towel was wrapped around Steven's shoulders, a matching tea towel was ran through his hair. Quartz stood at the doorframe, her hand shaking and her eyes wide, water had gathered into a small puddle at her feet. Her clothing clung to her body and the towel slung over her arm was warm. It all felt so far away.

She hadn't noticed that Wallace had left the room with Steven until he returned and slung the towel over her shoulders, guiding her towards a bathroom he left her with a bundle of dry clothes. She couldn't hear what he was saying, everything was numb.

Quartz fumbled with the clothes, Wallace had handed her a simple sapphire colored tee shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. She had the mind to hang her clothing over the bath tub before leaving the bathroom. Leaning against the wall she searched for Wallace, finding him waiting for her in the kitchen, a mug of hot tea in his hands and an extra one across from him.

"What happened?" Wallace asked, his voice soft as he motioned for Quartz to sit.

She was silent for a moment, letting the warmth of the hot mug spread through her fingers.

"Team Magma..."

* * *

><p><em>Quartz held Steven in her arms, her eyes wide and staring at the Magma Grunts as they surrounded them. She glanced down at Steven's waist, one of his pokemon could help them, but would they listen to her?<em>

_"I'll keep this brief." A voice rose over Quartz's panic, her eyes shot up._

_Another man stood there, he was tall and lanky, with crimson red hair down to his shoulders and thick black glasses. The red and black jacket he wore swirled around his legs, just brushing the tops of his red boots._

_"Give us the Prison Bottle and the ancient pokemon, and we will let you leave unharmed." The man offered, eyes locked on Quartz._

_She sat in silence for a long time, if she gave them the Prison Bottle she could get help for Steven, but if she gave them the Prison Bottle they could unleash Hoopa's true power. But if she didn't, she glanced down at Steven, his breathing was ragged and his face contorted him pain._

_"Forgive me mother, it's the only way." She whispered under her breath before looking up, "Hoopa."_

_A gold ringed portal opened next to Quartz, the said pokemon flowed from it, hovering just above her shoulder. She lifted her arm, Hoopa's pokeball in one hand, she recalled them and stared at the pokeball._

_"I'll come back for you. I promise."_

_Quartz looked back at the man, her body shook._

_"Do I have your promise?" She asked, steeling herself._

_The man nodded, motioning for a Grunt to step forwards, the Grunt held a heavy looking metal box in his arms and made a motion for her to deposit Hoopa's pokeball inside. Quartz did just that._

_"And the Prison Bottle."_

_Her hand hesitated over the Prison Bottle, she could unleash Hoopa right then and there, she could get her and Steven out of there, but she didn't. Quartz carefully placed the Prison Bottle in the box and let her hand fall back to her side._

_The man smiled, thanked her, turned around and left._

* * *

><p>"Once they were gone I ran outside, finding that Latios was waiting for us. I didn't know where to go, so I brought us here." Quartz ended, her eyes glued to the ruby red tea in her mug and her arms shaking.<p>

Wallace took another sip of tea, obviously in deep thought.

"You did what you had to, Quartz." He comforted, glancing in the direction of the guest bedroom.

She wanted to say more, to protest that she didn't do the right thing, that she should have fought. But she sat there silently.

"Now, I haven't seen you in two years." Wallace started, a smile on his face, "Your hair is shorter."

"O-oh, really?" Quartz looked away, taking a small sip of her tea.

"It suits you dear, though you look fine either way. And I know Steven likes you for more than your looks." Wallace shrugged, taking another sip from his mug.

Quartz's eyes widened. Steven likes her?

Wallace seemed to take notice of her shock and set down his mug, his smile falling away.

"Do you remember him?"

"I remember him... But not much." Quartz confessed, "I know we were friends, but I don't remember anything else."

Wallace was quiet for a moment.

"Well, you were friends... Though." Wallace grinned, "You should ask Steven when he wakes up, I'm sure this has been on his mind."

Quartz nodded, unable to form words.

"Get some rest, you've had a long day."

* * *

><p><strong>And right on time! I wish I could have done more for this chapter, but that's fine. Thank you Ashleewframe for your review, it really made my day! <strong>

**While on the topic of reviews, they are always welcome and constructive criticism is especially welcome! **

**With that, I'll see you guys next chapter!**


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